Ecological Issues

Have you ever tried bacon jam? Well, I recently encountered this delicious secret foodstuff of the Gods for the first time at the Sunshine Music Festival in Powell River. This devilish bite (a tightly held trade secret) was just a teaser for a new restaurant called Hub 101 Cafe, Bar & Bistro. Opening soon at the […]

I have a confession to make – two, actually. No, three! One being: I always wanted to be a writer. The second is much more complicated. My second confession is something that Canada’s Natural Resource Minister Joe Oliver currently has me labelled a “radical” – for being an environmentally-minded Canadian (one step away from being […]

What is the realistic significance of the Oceanwise and Seachoice campaigns? This is a critique – make no mistake. But know, in advance, that I was volunteering for the David Suzuki Foundation [DSF] for these specific initiatives a week before I wrote this. So, this is how it works. Please allow me to break it […]

I thought that I knew quite a bit, before doing a little talk at a UBC sustainability conference, run by students and involving people from the environmental community. At the time I was half-involved in Vancouver’s environmental community and full-time-involved in its restaurant scene (running Burgoo as a “Head Chef” up on West 10th) – […]

As a child of the sixties, I can’t help but have this strange compulsion to want to “get back to the land” – that is, to run away from everything that annoys me about city life and embrace that elusive Shangri-la lying somewhere out beyond the suburbs. I know I am not alone in this […]

In 2007, the Vancouver-based Green Table Network began Canada’s first program to assist businesses in every segment of the restaurant and foodservice industry with reducing their environmental footprint. Since then, more than 100 operations have joined the Green Table Network to develop and implement tailored sustainability plans. As a result of that experience, GTN has […]

^ Ecological Services Initiative launches at Granville Island. A significant flaw in our economic system is how natural capital is not assigned any direct monetary value. This means, for example, that while a wetland produces clean water and controls flooding, the only economic value is seen in converting it to agricultural or industrial use. However, […]

Recently I was given a review copy of Simon Fairlie’s new book entitled Meat: A Benign Extravagance, published by Chelsea Green (2010), right around the same time I wrote what some might consider a rather controversial blog on the subject of meat here on Urban Diner. The issue of eating meat is a touchy one, especially here in […]

On Wednesday, November 2nd at 9 am there will be a rally for Food Freedom outside the New Westminster Supreme Court (651 Carnarvon Street) in support of dairy farmer Michael Schmidt who has been on a hunger strike for the past 33 days fighting contempt of court charges imposed upon him for distributing raw milk […]

(Images by: Mette-Marie Hansen) Our climate is changing. This might not be shocking news to you over your morning coffee, but as a coffee buyer, I get to meet farmers and producers who are facing the difficulties of a changing climate year round. It is the small business’ job to rant about the big guys, […]

“Is Your Coffee Fair Trade and Sustainable and Organic?” I just got this question from a concerned consumer, and she was raising valid questions about well known certifications and buzz-words. The question is simple, and doesn’t require more than a yes-or-no, but as much as I love coffee, I love the opportunity to discuss and […]